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Coastal Systems. AQA Geography Full Notes
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This is the full notes for the AQA Geography, Physical topic based on Coastal Systems.
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🏖Coastal Environments
Lesson 1: Waves and Wind
Lesson 2: Tides
Lesson 3: High/Low Energy Coasts
Lesson 4: Storm Surges; Coastal Flooding
Lesson 5: Ocean Currents
Lesson 6: Sediment Cells
Lesson 7: Coastal Processes
Lesson 8: Coastal Erosion and Landforms
Lesson 9: Headlands and Bays - Wave Refraction
Lesson 10: Depositional Landforms, Sand dunes and Salt Marshes
Lesson 11: Causes of Sea Level rise
Lesson 12: Coastal Management
Lesson 1: Waves and Wind
Systems in Physical Geography
The coast is a natural system, geographical systems have inputs, flows, outputs, and
stores. Sources of energy in coastal environments consist of winds, waves, both
constructive and destructive, dynamic equilibrium and negative feedback loops.
The Geographical System Model:
Coastal Environments 1
, The coast is considered an open environment because energy and inputs originate
from outside the system boundary. The coast is the land along a sea, the boundary
of the coast is where land meets the water, this is known as the coastline. Waves,
tides, and currents help create the coastline.
The Coast as a system:
Coastal Inputs Coastal Flows Coastal Processes Coastal Outputs
Stores such as
sediment on a
beach, and flows Marine and wind
Marine: Waves, tides
(transfers), such as Deposition erosion as well as
and currents
longshore drift evaporation
moving sediment
along the coast.
Energy: Kinetic energy
from waves and winds,
thermal energy from the Landforms of
sun, and potential erosion: Cracks,
Erosion: attrition,
energy from material on caves, stacks,
corrasion/abrasion, &
cliffs and slopes and stumps, wave-cut
hydraulic action
material from platforms, and
processes of blowholes.
weathering, mass
movement and erosion
Geological: Rock-type, Weathering: Freeze- Landforms of
structure and tectonics, thaw, solution and deposition:
material from marine salt crystallisation, Beaches, spits,
deposition, weathering biological and tombolos, sand
and mass movement. chemical. dunes, salt marshes
Atmospheric: Climate, Mass Movement:
weather and climate slumps, soil creep
Coastal Environments 2
, change and slides.
People: Urban
planning, housing,
industry, coastal
management/defences
& leisure.
If inputs and outputs within a coastal system are the same then a state of equilibrium
exists. An example of this would be when the sediment being added to a beach is
the same as the amount leaving the beach resulting in the beach remaining the
same size. If something happens to break this equilibrium the system will change to
restore the equilibrium. This is known as a dynamic equilibrium, as the system
responds to the disturbance.
When an initial change within a system brings about further change in the same
direction, this is known as positive feedback. When a system returns to equilibrium
following a change in the system this is known as negative feedback.
Where do waves come from?
Fetch - Distance of uninterrupted water surface over which the wind has blown to
form the waves.
The prevailing wind is the most frequent wind
The biggest fetch is over the Atlantic, so at the east coast of Ireland, and South
West of the United Kingdom such as Cornwall
The dominant wind is not interrupted between the north pole and East Anglia.
Wave Terminology
Coastal Environments 3
, How do waves form?
Waves are most commonly caused by the wind, wind-driven waves otherwise known
as surface waves, are created by the friction between the wind and surface water. As
the wind blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake, the continual disturbance
creates a wave crest.
Waves:
There are two main types of waves, these are destructive and constructive waves.
Destructive waves are associated with an increased energy supply during storms
and with steep sloping shingle beaches. These steep waves plunge over when
breaking so their energy is concentrated on a small area of the beach. Most material
is carried downwards by the backwash to create a longshore bar. As the material is
constantly combed downwards the gradient becomes more gentle. Constructive
Waves commonly occur on beaches with a low angle. These have a wide area to
Coastal Environments 4
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